Australian man admits to murdering Indian student

Melbourne: A 21-year-old Australian man has pleaded guilty to the murder of a young Indian woman whose dismembered body was discovered in a suitcase in a Sydney canal last year.

The body of Tosha Thakkar, 24, was found in the suitcase floating in a canal near the Parramatta River at Meadowbank in March 2011.

Police say she had been raped and then strangled, a crime which drew a shocked and furious response from the Indian community both in Sydney and overseas.

Burwood Local Court said that Daniel Stani-Reginald, who was Thakkar`s neighbour, pleaded guilty to the murder.

He was also charged of raping Thakkar. According to `The Age` report, Stani-Reginald has not pleaded guilty to this charge.

The two were living in the same apartment building and Stani-Reginald was arrested soon after Thakkar`s body was found.

Magistrate Christopher Longley committed Stani-Reginald for sentencing in the NSW Supreme Court on November 28.

Stani-Reginald and Thakkar lived in separate apartments above an empty storefront on Edwin Street in Croydon in Sydney`s inner west, the report said, adding it was believed the murder took place in Thakkar`s apartment.

Her body was found in a suitcase by construction workers a few days later while working on an oil line.